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Friday, January 08, 2010

2010 must be the year that will herald a new dawn

Hello and Happy New Year!

2010 looks to be a very promising year indeed.

The escalation and radicalisation of protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic bring with it the hope for a very different world to the one we live in. Don’t forget, the suppression of the 1979 Iranian revolution by the Islamists changed the world we knew for the worse. This time round, the fall of the Islamists via a people’s revolution will change things for the better.

As we have always said, Iran is one of the main battlegrounds against a pillar of political Islam in the world.

It is in Iran that this movement will be brought to its knees.

But this battle has yet to be won. People in Iran are doing what they can. Many have been killed, wounded and disappeared since June of last year. On December 27, in the latest round of protests, more than ten people have been killed and over 1,000 arrested. At least five are currently being tried for ‘warring against god,’ which carries a death sentence.

An article in a government-controlled paper of the Islamic Republic of Iran says it all: ‘These days are critical and decisive and if not managed well will have bitter and irreversible consequences. No-one benefits from these days other than those who want to overthrow the system…’

After thirty years of our innumerable beloved murdered, hung from city squares, stoned to death, assassinated, tortured and murdered in cold-blood; after years of losing our beloved Gholam Keshavarzs, Delara Darabis and Nedas; these days are finally to our advantage.

The regime is fighting for its very survival and wants to maintain power by yet another slaughter in order to frighten people into submission. But if you have seen the courage of the protesters in videos on Youtube or in photographs, you know that they are no longer afraid. It is the regime that is running scared.

Now, more than ever before, the people of Iran need the support of people everywhere. They need you.

We urge you to act now. Step up your condemnation of the Islamic regime of Iran. Make sure there is no military attack on Iran, which will only adversely affect the revolutionary movement there. Demand the release of all political prisoners and an end to all executions. The five and countless others must not be executed. Full Stop.

We mustn’t let up until we win.

2010 may be - no must be - the year that will herald a new dawn.

In solidarity,

Maryam

Maryam NamazieCoordinatorIran Solidarity

Notes:

1. To see some photos and video footage of recent protests in Iran, click here: http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/01/video-footage-and-photos-of-december-27.html

2. To support Iran Solidarity and its demands, sign up to our petition: http://iransolidarity.org.uk/iscommit/iscom186.php?nr=97158834&lang=en

3. Support the International Committee Against Executions (http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/01/bulletin-of-international-committee.html).

4. Join our daily acts of solidarity with the people of Iran. Since Monday July 27, we have organised acts of solidarity in Trafalgar Square, London and several other cities EVERY SINGLE DAY. Now – after a short break - we intend to expand these acts so that you can join in. You can do an act anywhere – even sitting in your own home. In your act, you can write a letter of protest to the Islamic regime, draw something, send a message, sing, dance, anything... Just email us video footage or a photo of your act to upload to our blog. We intend to continue these daily acts until June 20, 2010. June 20 will mark the day our lovely Neda was shot dead at a protest in Iran by the Islamic regime’s forces. We will be organising mass protests on the day to mark her death and to show our support of the movement in Iran. If you’d like to see the various acts, visit our blog: http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/. But please do take a moment to do something and send it in.

5. Join weekly protests we will be organising soon on Saturday afternoons in various city centres across the world. If you can organise weekly protests, please contact us.

6. Set up Iran Solidarity groups in your neighbourhoods, workplaces, universities and cities. So far we have groups in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Norway, and the UK. Like the solidarity committees during the anti-apartheid era, these committees can be instrumental but we need many more in every city in the world for that to happen. And we need it now.